Morning journal and courier., 1887-08-15
REV. DIR. FAIRBAIRNS.
A Very Interesting Service at the Uni
 ted Church Chapel Yesterday


 ted Church Chapel Yesterday. An attendant at United church yesterday writes as follows: Rev. A. NJ. Fairbairns, D. D., of Great Britain, very acceptably con- dueted the United church service at the chapel, 302 Temple street, yesterday. The holy day of real Sabbath stiffness, inviting
 to praise, worship and expressive thankful
 ness, was just in accord with the gifted
 speakers eloquent power of thought and
 word, and large audience filled the chapel rooms. His reading of the Scripture lesson in.the Old and New Testament was impressive and aptly introductory to the prayers, songs and sermon. The use of beautiful prayerful psalms in the two prayers in the service and the gospel promises in the few words of bene-
 diction at the sermons close were eloquent and most appropriate. The text was the sev-
 enteenth verse of St. John, xx. The sixteenth chapter of the same gospel was read in the morning lesson. The ztwo-fold nature of Christ was the subject taken from the words of the text and the verses of the context. No burial, the speaker said, was accorded to Christ after his cruel crucifxion. The Ro- man governor and Jewish rulers made no provision to take the victim of their malice down from the cross or for the simplest bu-
 rial. Joseph of Arimathea, conscious of the great wrong and of his remissness in duty,
 to atone in part for the past in this hour of the worlds redemption, came to Pilot and begged the body of Jesus." In his
 own new tomb in the garden of Gethsemane
 he laid him. Early on the morning of the
 first day of the week came the sorrowing Marys, with no hope of seeing Christ risen
 from the dead, but to annoint his body with
 myrrh and spices. They left the empty tomb IL s-c ! ment. Jesus meets them calls Mary by name. Recognizing him she utters the one word of astonished joy, "Rabboni," (master) and has,
 tens to obey the injunction Jesus gives her in the words of the text, "Go unto my brethren and say to them I ascend unto my father and your father, my God and your God" This relation of Jesus to God and to man as we'll
 was made very clear by the simple il1ustra- tions afforded in the brief life of Christ on earth and briefer ministry. Proof of our immortality and life after death is most sed- ulously sought in the printed page and in the minds, thoughts and hearts of those nearest
 and dearest. Christ only once wrote on the
 sand not to be seen or remembered, but only not to inhict added sorrow to the penitent
 who stood before him uncondemned The
 Christian religion was compared with the groping blindness of heathen nations edu- cated or uneducatsd, and with infdeiitv and superstition. They all degrade their follow CTS and lead them on from bad to worse, but the first word or gleam of gospel light trans forms the character when seen or heard. The benighted character of the individuals is changed, giving them the power and will to do right and to help their fellows.
 The singing of the well-chosen familiar hymns was by all rising, Jed by the chorister, Max Kastner, and MT. Murray at the piano. Many waited and spoke with Rev. Dr. F. after the sermon, among them Professor Fisher of Yale, sa..